Western Association of Schools and Colleges/Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Carnegie Classification

Associate's--Public Urban-serving Multicampus

Physical Therapist Assistant Program Accreditation

Date of initial accreditation

05/95

Current accrediation status

Accreditation

Next visit

Spring 2020

Five-year history

Accreditation

Degree conferred

Associate of Science

General Program Description

The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program requires completion of 70-76 semester units of courses including prerequisites (14.5 units), PTA courses (33.5 units), Allied Health courses (3 units), required general education courses (9 units), and additional courses to meet graduation requirements of the college (10-16 units). The program is a part-time evening program. The PTA courses are scheduled sequentially over a 21-month period.

Clinical ExperiencesSupervised clinical experiences are integrated throughout the program. Students spend one day per week at assigned clinical facilities during the spring semester of their first year. Two six-week full-time clinical experiences are scheduled during the second year. Clinical experiences are available in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings in the greater Sacramento area, and throughout Northern California.

FacultyThere are two full-time and six part-time faculty members. All of the part-time faculty members are engaged in clinical practice. The average faculty-to-student ratio is 1:25 in PTA lecture courses and 1:14 in PTA laboratory courses.

EnrollmentTotal enrollment at the college is 24,000 students. The PTA program accepts a maximum of 30 students each year in fall semester.

AdmissionEnrollment in the PTA program is based on the completion of prerequisite courses and submission of the program application and official transcripts to the Science and Allied Health Division, Physical Therapist Assistant Program. In order to be considered eligible for the enrollment process, the applicant must have completed the following courses or their equivalent with grades of “C” or better, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0: (a) PTA 100, Introduction to Physical Therapist Assistant, (b) Bio 430 & 431, Anatomy and Physiology, or equivalent courses, within the past ten years, and (c) ENGR 300 or ESL 340, College Composition. For all applicants who do not have an AA degree or higher the following is required: eligibility for ENGRD 310, College Analytical and Speed Reading, as determined by the reading assessment process, or completion of ENGRD 110, Efficient Reading. Applications for enrollment are available during the spring semester. Students must submit application materials between March 1 and April 15 to be considered for enrollment in the fall. Students who meet program eligibility requirements are chosen for enrollment via random selection if there are more qualified applicants than spaces available. 21% of eligible applicants are offered admission to the program (2-year average).

Outcomes84% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average); 95% of the graduates passed the National Physical Therapy Exam for PTAs (3-year average); and >90% of those program graduates responding to surveys are employed (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aidInformation regarding fees may be obtained by calling the Admissions and Records Office at 916/558-2351. Information on financial aid may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office at 916/558-2501.

Student lifeSacramento City College was founded in 1916 and is the oldest institution of higher learning in Sacramento. The college is a part of the Los Rios Community College District, which also includes American River College, Cosumnes River College, and Folsom Lake College. Sacramento City College is located in an urban environment and prides itself on representing the diversity of the local community. The college has an established Allied Health Division, which also includes vocational and associate degree nursing, dental assisting, dental hygiene, and occupational therapy assistant. A variety of services to students are available on campus, including counseling, tutorial services, health services, and child care. On-campus housing is not available.

Attention Program Directors: Corrections to program data should be entered on the CAPTE Accreditation Portal. Any questions should be directed to the Accreditation Department at Accreditation@apta.org or 1-800-999-2782 x3245.